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What’s Hot: Spring Auctions of Fine Furnishings

Fedele Fischetti’s La Toilette de Psyché painting from the late 18th century is estimated to fetch $150,000 to $250,000 at the Michael Smith auction at Christie’s in New York.
Photo courtesy Christie's Images LTD. 2013

The de Trafford “Shrub” carpet from northeast Persia is part of the Michael S. Smith auction.
Photo courtesy Christie's Images LTD. 2013

More than 3,500 lots of furnishings, decorative accents, and wine from the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris will be auctioned from April 18 to 22.
Photo courtesy Christie's Images LTD. 2013

More than 3,500 lots of furnishings, decorative accents, and wine from the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris will be auctioned from April 18 to 22.
Photo courtesy Christie's Images LTD. 2013

More than 3,500 lots of furnishings, decorative accents, and wine from the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris will be auctioned from April 18 to 22.
Photo courtesy Christie's Images LTD. 2013

More than 3,500 lots of furnishings, decorative accents, and wine from the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris will be auctioned from April 18 to 22.
Photo courtesy Christie's Images LTD. 2013

More than 3,500 lots of furnishings, decorative accents, and wine from the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris will be auctioned from April 18 to 22.
Photo courtesy Christie's Images LTD. 2013

More than 3,500 lots of furnishings, decorative accents, and wine from the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris will be auctioned from April 18 to 22.
Photo courtesy Christie's Images LTD. 2013

More than 3,500 lots of furnishings, decorative accents, and wine from the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris will be auctioned from April 18 to 22.
Photo courtesy Christie's Images LTD. 2013

More than 3,500 lots of furnishings, decorative accents, and wine from the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris will be auctioned from April 18 to 22.
Photo courtesy Christie's Images LTD. 2013

More than 3,500 lots of furnishings, decorative accents, and wine from the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris will be auctioned from April 18 to 22.
Photo courtesy Christie's Images LTD. 2013

More than 3,500 lots of furnishings, decorative accents, and wine from the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris will be auctioned from April 18 to 22.
Photo courtesy Christie's Images LTD. 2013

More than 3,500 lots of furnishings, decorative accents, and wine from the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris will be auctioned from April 18 to 22.
Photo courtesy Christie's Images LTD. 2013

More than 3,500 lots of furnishings, decorative accents, and wine from the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris will be auctioned from April 18 to 22.
Photo courtesy Christie's Images LTD. 2013

More than 3,500 lots of furnishings, decorative accents, and wine from the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris will be auctioned from April 18 to 22.
Photo courtesy Christie's Images LTD. 2013

Samantha Brooks

March 21, 2013

Two upcoming auctions will offer bidders the chance to acquire pieces that have outfitted fine European-style properties.

In mid-April, following the late-March closure of Paris’s Hôtel de Crillon for a full renovation, an auction of selected contents from the famed property will be sold at auction. The palace-style hotel, which will reopen in 2015, was originally built as a residence in 1775 and has operated as a hotel since 1909, amassing not only a loyal guest list but also a fine collection of furnishings. The property will be open for bidders to view the pieces in various rooms and suites from April 12 to 16, before the hotel auctions off 3,500 lots of furnishings, decorative objects, and wine from April 18 to 22. Furniture, lighting, silver, porcelain, and tapestries, some of which bear the hotel’s name and insignia, will be available during the auction, which will be hosted by Artcurial.

From April 23 to 24, just before the May release of interior designer Michael S. Smith’s forthcoming book, Building Beauty: The Alchemy of Design, Christie’s will host A Palladian Villa by Michael S. Smith. The sale, which is expected to comprise more than 500 lots, will feature pieces profiled in his book, including contemporary art, old master paintings, Chinese art, English furnishings, and antiquities. Highlights will include the de Trafford “Shrub” carpet from northeast Persia, a 17th-century piece estimated at $30,000 to $50,000; Fedele Fischetti’s La Toilette de Psychépainting from the late 18th century estimated at $150,000 to $250,000; and a Northern Italian giltwood sofa, circa 1840, estimated at $8,000 to $12,000.